Shoe closure



Dec. 30, 19414. u GQWALTER 2,258,003

' SHOE cLosURE Filed- July lO, 1939 Patented Dec. 30, 1941 f UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SHOE GLOSURE George Walters, Chicago, Ill. Application July 10, 1939, Serial No. 283,619

4 Claims. (Cl. ,Z4-207) This invention relates to shoe closures and has for its principal object to provide an improved shoe closure which is adapted to replace the ordinary shoe lace closure which is almost universally used at the present time.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved shoe closure which can be operated very quickly for the donning or the removal of the shoes.

A further object of the invention is to provide a closure of this type which can be readily removed from and installed on a shoe.

Other objects, advantages and capabilities of the invention will appear from the following. description of a preferred embodiment thereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the fore part of a shoe provided with my improved closure;

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the closure in open position;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view of the closure in closing relation on a pair of shoe aps, asviewed from the rear;

Fig. 4 is a. fragmentary sectional detail, taken on the line 4--4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional detail, taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional detail, taken on the line 6 6 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawing, the shoe aps I0, I0 which are operated by the shoe closure are those which carry the eyelets in conventional shoes. These flaps are provided near their adjacent edges with longitudinal slots II. These flaps are reinforced by means of metal strips I2 which are anchored to the flaps in any suitable way, for example, by means of the tabs or lugs I3 which project through openings in the flap from the rear to the front, being turned over to the front side of the ap as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. It will, of course, be understood that the strips I2 may be anchored to the aps I0 in any other suitable way.

The strips I2 are provided with longitudinal slots I4 which are in register with the slots II previously mentioned At their upper ends the slots II and I4 are enlarged, as shown at I5. Above the upper ends of the strips I2 the flaps I0 are provided with the male snap fastener elements I6. Beyond the lower end of the strips I2 the flaps I0 are provided with male snap fastener elements II. As best seen in Figs. 1 and 2, these elements are located in alignment with the slots II, I4.

The shoe closure is completed by a lazy tongs device or unit I8, which will now be described. The lazy tongs device comprises a plurality of levers I9 which are arranged in pairs, each pair being pivoted together at their mid points. In the embodiment of the device shown, two such pairs are provided, but it will readily be understood that the lazy tongs may comprise any number of pairs of levers I9.

'Ihe levers of the lowermost pair carry female snap fastener elements 20 which are adapted to be snapped onto the male snap fastener elements I1 'Ihe upper ends of the lowermost pair of levers I9 and the lower ends of the adjacent pair of levers I9 are pivotally connected together by means of pivot pins 2l. The upper ends of the levers I9 of said adjacent pair are pivoted to short levers 22 by similar pivots 2|. The pivots 2|. as best shown in Fig. 4, extend through the aligned slots II and I4 and are provided at their inner ends with washers 23 which are wider than the slots Il and I4 and, consequently, serve to anchor the movable extremities of the levers I9 to the shoe flaps.

The short levers 22 are pivoted together and to a metal tab 24 in alignment with the central pivots of the pairs of levers I9. The levers I9 and 22 may suitably be formed of stainless steel or other suitable metal or they may be made of ber or other suitable material. These levers may be covered or decorated in any suitable way.

The tab 24 is secured to a larger tab 25, preferably of rubber, or resilient fabric or the like. The tab 25 carries female snap fastener elements 26 which are adapted to cooperate with the male snap fastener elements I6 previously referred to.

To apply the lazy tongs device to the shoe aps I0, the washers 23 are passed from the front of the flaps IIJ to the rear of these flaps through the openings I5. The washers are slid downwardly in the aligned slots II, I4 into position shown in Fig. 1 or in Fig. 2. The female snap fastener elements 2U are then applied to the male snap fastener elements II to anchor the lazy tongs device to the shoe.

To effect the closing of the shoe after the wearer inserts his foot thereinto, it is merely necessary to pull the tab 25 upwardly from its position in Fig. 2 into its position in Fig. l. The lazy tongs device is anchored in closing relation by applying the female snap fastener elements 26 to the male snap fastener elements I6. To remove the shoe it is merely necessary to dsengage the snap fastener elements and to move the tab 25 downwardly. The upward movement of the tab 25 is accompanied by an approaching movement of the remote pivots 2| and downward movement of the tab 25 is accompanied by a separation of these pivots,

It will readily be understood that the lazy tongs device may be fabricated in various effective sizes and that any desired degree of closure to suit the wearers requirements may be obtained by removing the lazy tongs device and replacing it by a device of appropriate dimenslons.

Although the invention has been disclosed in connection with the specific details of a preferred embodiment thereof, it must be understood that such details are not intended to be limitative of the invention except in so far as set forth in the accompanying claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I Vclaim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a closure for shoes, in combination, a pair eof contiguous shoe flaps provided with longitudinal slots along their adjacent edges, a slotted :strip on the under side of each of said flaps yand secured thereto having slots registering with said first 'mentioned slots, a lazy tongs device comprising a series of pairs of levers pivotally secured in pairs at their centers, the pairs being secured together by pivots at the outer ends of said levers means associated with said lastnamed pivots adapted to slide in said slot and to secure said pivots to said flaps, readily separable 'means `for pivotally securing the lower extremities of the lowermost levers each to one flap, :and a tab having a pivot, means for connecting said pivot with the upper inner extremities of the top pair of levers, thereby to secure said tab centrally to the upper end of said lazy tongs device 'and readily .separable means for securing said tab to said flaps, the upper end of said slots h'aving enlargements whereby said device may be removed.

2. In a closure for shoes, in combination, a ipair of contiguous shoe aps provided with longitudinal slots along their meeting edges, a lazy :tongs device comprising a series of pairs of levers pivotally secured in pairs at their centers, the

pairs being secured by pivots at the outer ends of said levers, means associated with said lastmentioned pivots adapted to slide in said slots for movably securing said pivots to the flaps, readily separable means for securing the lower extremities of the lowermost levers each to one flap, said last-mentioned means including complementary fastening means on the lower ends of the lowermost levers and on the flaps, and means for securing the upper end of said lazy tongs device to said flaps, said last-mentioned means including a tab secured centrally of said device and provided with separable fastening means cooperatively associated with fastening means on each of said flaps.

3. In a closure for shoes and the like comprising a 'pair of contiguous aps, the combination including, slots extending through and along adjacent edges of the flaps, a lazy tongs device comprising pivoted paired levers, said levers havfing their outer ends secured by pivots slidable 'in said slots, means for securing one end of said lazy tongs device to said flaps when said tongs have lbeen operated to their extended position, means associated with said pivots for preventing withdrawal thereof from said slots, slotted reinforcing strips secured to the undersides of said flaps and located between said flaps and said last-mentioned means, and readily separable means for securing respectively each one of the pair of levers comprising the opposite end of the lazy tongs device to each of the flaps at points substantially in alignment with said slots.

4. In a closure for shoes, in combination, a pair of contiguous shoe aps having longitudinal guiding slots extending along the adjacent edges of said flaps, a lazy tongs device comprising pivoted paired levers, means for securing one end of said lazy tongs device to said flaps when said tongs have been operated to their extended .position, means on said lazy tongs device adapted to slide along the longitudinal slots in secured relation thereto, and readily separable means for securing respectively each one of the pair of `levers comprising the opposite end of the lazy tongs device to each of the shoe flaps at points sisstantially in alignment with said guiding so GEORGE WALTERS. 

